Even before intervening in the battle between Iron Monger and Iron Man, he had already entered SHIELD field of vision.
Knowing how those people operated, one could tell with their toes that he would definitely be placed under more intense scrutiny.
Perhaps for a while, his intelligence was only verbally reported to Coulson without being documented, but by now, Coulson would certainly report the matter to his superiors and compile his relevant information into a file to submit upward.
Whether it was SHIELD or HYDRA, after he had displayed his abilities, they would definitely seek him out.
Regardless of their intentions or what actions they might take, one thing was certain: his daily life would be greatly affected by the appearance of these agents.
There's a saying that "when you live in the jianghu, how can you avoid getting cut?"
But honestly, Shi Xiaolei really didn't want to get involved in those messy affairs.
Lending a hand during major incidents was fine, but dealing with them daily and taking orders like a low-level employee? No thanks.
How to avoid this possibility? Thinking broadly, there were only two methods.
Either demonstrate even greater power to intimidate them into not acting rashly, or find a solid shield.
Without question, Tony Stark was the best candidate to serve as a shield.
Given his status, SHIELD would only approach him gently, and HYDRA, hiding in the shadows, wouldn't easily provoke him out of concern for being exposed.
Doing Stark a favor meant that if trouble arose later, having him step in would make things easier to resolve.
Additionally, the substantial amount Stark was offering was another reason.
It wasn't that Shi Xiaolei was particularly money-hungry or desired a decadent lifestyle.
From a personal preference standpoint, he actually disliked the so-called "high society life".
Wearing a fake smile every day, attending one social engagement after another—what was good about that? Just thinking about it was exhausting.
The current situation—living together as a family, experiencing warmth and happiness in the busy yet ordinary daily life—that was what Shi Xiaolei loved most.
The reason he was moved by Stark "money talk" was simply because this additional income could greatly enhance his personal strength—experience points, attribute points, skill points could be slowly improved through training.
Although the efficiency wasn't very high, the entire process was similar to idle farming, basically requiring little effort from Shi Xiaolei.
However the gold coins needed to purchase equipment and potions had to be exchanged with real cash.
This was what troubled Shi Xiaolei.
Why was he only wearing the basic white armor given by the system when fighting Iron Monger, and only wielding two blue weapons?
Ultimately, it was because the profits from running the small shop weren't very substantial.
After deducting living expenses and setting aside reserves in the bank, there wasn't much left to exchange for gold coins, not enough to afford golden equipment, let alone dream of gambling for unique items.
Since Tony Stark was willing to spend money.
Golden equipment was within reach, and if the deal went well, unique equipment wasn't impossible either.
Just thinking about this made Shi Xiaolei heart race.
"For certain reasons, I can't answer some of your questions."
Shi Xiaolei thought carefully, then took out a weapon and a chain mail from his "backpack" and placed them on the table.
"But I can lend you these two pieces of equipment to study for a while."
"Only two items?"
Raising an eyebrow, Stark seemed unsatisfied.
"What about the set you wore in the battle footage? Bring those out too. Hmm, five million per piece, how about that?"
Hearing this price, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
However, thinking of the old saying "rarity makes value." Shi Xiaolei still shook his head.
"I need to keep those. This is America, and life wouldn't be easy without some means of self-defense."
"If that's the only reason, I can give you a batch of weapons."
Stark continued to persuade.
"As you know, I just shut down Stark Industries weapons division, and there's still some inventory that hasn't been cleared out."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I've never used those things and don't know how to. Besides, the things you manufacture can't be carried around like this."
As he spoke, Shi Xiaolei picked up the curved blade on the table, instantly storing it in his backpack and then taking it out again.
Stark curiosity was stimulated once more by Shi Xiaolei action, and an increasingly intense gleam appeared in his eyes.
"Alright, alright, seeing that you're so sincere, I'll give you some additional samples."
Unable to resist Stark eager gaze... well, mainly because he had written another check.
Defeated by the financial offensive, Shi Xiaolei could only smile bitterly and shake his head.
He took out a few small bottles from his "backpack" and placed them together with the curved blade and chain mail.
"This red one is for healing injuries. This black one can neutralize various poisons and temporarily increase resistance to toxins. This white one is called a stamina potion; after drinking it, even someone with your physique could effortlessly run a full marathon."
There were six types of oral potions in "Diablo 2" but Shi Xiaolei only brought out three.
The remaining yellow, blue, and purple potions weren't produced.
The yellow potion effect was to remove freezing and increase cold resistance, which Stark had no use for.
The blue potion could restore mana.
Thinking that Stark didn't yet know Doctor Strange and knew nothing about Kamar-Taj, he probably wouldn't believe in the existence of magic and mana, so Shi Xiaolei didn't bring it out either.
As for the more effective purple potion, or rejuvenation potion that thing was too expensive.
Before cashing Stark check, with the limited money Shi Xiaolei had saved, he really couldn't afford to buy it.
"Hmm??"
To Stark great surprise, Shi Xiaolei had produced several potions rather than equipment.
Hearing their described effects, Stark eyes lit up.
"Wow~! This is truly unexpected. So you're not just a warrior but also a part-time apothecary? Rock, are you sure these potions have the amazing effects you described?"
"You can try them."
Shi Xiaolei gestured, smiling.
"Considering these are one-time consumables, I won't charge a high price. Regardless of type, one thousand dollars per bottle, how about that?"
"No problem, if the effects are truly that amazing."
Touching the red bottle, then picking up the black one to examine it, Stark finally chose the small bottle containing the white potion.
"This is the stamina potion, right?"
"Hey, you trust me that much?"
"No, I just plan to start my experiments with this one."
Shi Xiaolei remark brought rationality back, suppressing his scientific enthusiasm.
Stark placed the potion back on the table and looked at Shi Xiaolei again.
"The sample size is too small. Give me a few more bottles of each."
"No problem. Hehe, thank you for your patronage."
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist?you can read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [[email protected]/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)